These wheels are lightweight and loaded with tech. When we first reviewed them we gave them four stars, but almost a year on they haven’t proven easy to live with.
By keeping an alloy outer rim Mavic can add their unique Exalith coating for huge amounts of braking power and control even when in the wet. The flat R2R carbon spokes run continuously from Rim2Rim for phenomenal cornering stiffness and power delivery.
According to Mavic, the ‘helicopter chop’ noise of spoke and rim insertion hole turbulence also smooths overall airflow. Add low weight and you’ve got a very sharp feeling and responsive, if sometimes harsh, ride.
They are stubborn to turn and blow about a lot in crosswinds though, and our long-term set has also thrown up both bearing and spoke loosening issues. Plus, the rest of the aero game has moved on substantially, with features such as toroidal rims, which makes the Mavic’s handling seem worse in comparison.
